Page 69 of Dark Obsession
"Why in the world would he be willing to help you?"
"He still cares about me, man. I care about him too. Just cause I didn't sign on the dotted line for his syndicate doesn't mean all the shit we went through doesn't matter. That's why he was here. Jenna must have told him that she was going to kill Ashley. He's not going to let her take on that burden."
"Hey... Maybe..." Mikey walked to the door, peered out into the hall and closed the door quickly like something was after him.
I snorted and rolled my eyes as he walked toward the chair and dropped down into it.
"What, Mikey? Speak up. Shit." I got up and walked to the kitchen. I needed something much stronger than beer. Something like a glass of bourbon from Jenna's dad's liquor cabinet.
"Maybe if Jenna killed Ashley, and she knows that somehow Ash matters to you, the two of you will be even."
I glanced over my shoulder before opening the fridge. "That's the stupidest shit I've ever heard in my life, man. Two wrongs don't make a right."
"No? I think they might in this situation. Just think about it for a minute. You never tell her you were involved in Darek's murder."
"Cause I wasn't." I grabbed a beer from the fridge and chucked it at him before grabbing mine and popping the top.
"Yeah, you were. You gave Ashley the Zandra. You knew what she was doing with it. You planned and plotted the shit out."
I choked on the beer, spitting some of it out. "Well, fuck, Mikey. I'd almost convinced myself I was clean on this one."
"You're taking half the money, asshole."
"I was consideringnottaking it. It's kinda like stealing from Jenna's dad. I like the old guy." I grabbed a napkin and bent over to clean up the floor. "I'm just going to come clean with her tonight. I need her to know that I love her, Mikey. That she's the woman I'd change everything for."
"And you think she's just going to drop her panties and offer you forever after a night of fucking? You killed her brother."
I glanced up. "Stop saying that shit. I did not."
"You did." He laughed and turned to walk back to the living room. "Tell me what kind of person could hear the full story andnotthink that you're the villain."
"I hate you sometimes," I called after him and finished cleaning the floor.
"Listen to me, Nate. Don't tell her anything. She'll kill Ashley, and you need to mourn like crazy. Let her be the villain, man."
"You're stupid." I walked into the living room.
"Could you forgive her for killing your best friend?"
"Ashley?"
"Yes. Could you forgive Jenna for killing Ash?"
"Yeah. I'm thinking about killing her myself. Shit. Keep up here, man."
"You keep up. Make her the villain. You forgive her and what? She lives her life trying to make it up to you." He snorted. "It's genius, really."
I sat down and digested Mikey's suggestion. It was brilliant, and if nothing else, it would save me the day she found out that I had a hand in Darek's death. A small one, but a hand nevertheless.
"I'm not taking the money. I can't." I lifted my beer to my lips. "I don't want evidence that I did anything that would hurt her. I want her to be my wife one day, man."
"Good. Then stick to the plan."
"No. Go find Erik. Tell him to kill Ash for me, but not to let Jenna do it. Tell him my answer is yes."
“Fuck, that was fast. You sure about this?” Mikey got up and sighed.
“Yeah. Do it before I change my fucking mind.”
"Dude, you know I hate that guy." Mikey stalled for a minute.
"Shut the fuck up and do what I told you to. You owe me. I already took a bullet for your ass today." I reached up and wiped at my ear as I winced.
"I almost shit myself when that gun went off."
"Out. Now." I closed my eyes and sunk back into the couch. Jenna would be rattled. I needed to remind her that I wasn't the guy she might start believing me to be thanks to Ash. I was her lover, her man, her future.
